My first Halloween
by SilhouetteRobotnik
Summary: The first time Shadow the hedgehog has ever heard of these strange human holidays his best friend, Maria, loves to do, and he gets to participate in the fun. But just how much fun will he have.. If any?


SHORT STORY TIME! YAY!

okay, I know I should update Unexpected family in the realm of chaos, but I kinda wanted to do a little something for the holiday that I like dressing up for anyway even if where I live we don't really DO Halloween. *shrug* (I don't mind that much though I don't really need the sugar) and I thought it would be fun for it to be on the ARK with his best friend so there would be more inspiration to dress up...mwahhahahaha

anyway one shot story, hope ya like it, if ya do don't be afraid to leave a comment though please try to be nice about it. And Have a great day!

ON WITH THE STORY!

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"Ha! I have Broadway!" Maria stated proudly picking up the card as she and Shadow sat in the middle of her room playing Monopoly.

Shadow stared at the enthusiastic girl and had to raise an eyebrow.

"So. I have apartment complex's on all the railways. And I've almost won anyway." He said pointing to the red buildings on each side of the board.

A suspicious smile spread across the girl's lips as she placed a plastic green house on the board space she just got.

"I now have all the blue property places and can build on them now."

Shadow just rolled his eyes as he tossed the die on the board again.

"Ooh Doubles!" Maria exclaimed as he moved his shoe game piece the number he rolled and landed on the property she had just gotten.

Shadow shook his head as he read the title of the property aloud "I wonder how fat the people there are if they had to name the place 'Broadway."

Maria's small giggle quickly developed into a laughter that even though Shadow was being dead serious, brought a smile to his face anyway.

"Who knows..." She said once she caught her breath. Shadow paid her, and rolled again.

"Doubles again! You're on a roll..." Maria exclaimed as he grabbed his game piece to move it when he glanced up at her, slightly amused. "Pun totally intended."

Shaking his head with amusement, he took his turn. Landing on the space as Maria gave a commentary that he needed to draw a card.

"What's it say?" She asked eagerly. Leaning over the board to see if she could read it.

"Pass go. Collect 200 dollars." Shadow read aloud, placing it in the middle of the board for her to read he moved his piece as her jaw dropped. And she passed him the money out of the bank. "That's not fair. I never got that card."

Shadow tossed the die on the board once more, Maria smiled as the die landed on doubles again.

"I take that last comment back. Doubles three times in a row; you get sent to jail."

Shadow glared harshly at the die as his shoe piece got dropped in the forbidden square of impossibility to escape from. Remembering how once he spent the entire game there.

"Your turn." Shadow moaned falling backwards on his back. Looking towards the door and the Scientist standing in it.

"Hi, Chris! What's up?" Maria said cheerfully to the Scientist.

Chris said nothing as he saw Shadow admitting defeat to a board game. Then remembered why he came to see them.

"Gerald's calling everyone on the ARK to the cafeteria for a meeting of some kind, and he told me to get you two."

"You mean 'game over'?" Shadow said doing a fist pump whispering joyfully to himself in a different language.

"Alright let's see who actually won. Count your profit." Maria said quickly flipping through her paper play money, while Shadow just sat up and glanced at what he had.

When she finished they figured it up and found that Shadow won. Then they quickly packed it in the box and raced to the cafeteria.

Skidding across the floor, making a sudden stop ahead of his human friend. As Maria skidded into the room too she didn't have that much traction and collided with the Ultimate Life Form, gaining several gasps and worried expressions from the scientist and other ARK staff around them.

But it didn't matter all that much to him what the others thought, he grabbed Maria's head as they collided into a table him first.

releasing Maria's head from his reflexes pulling her away from the table and accidentally shoving himself into it pretty hard.

He sat up rubbing the back of his head and made sure she was okay. Gasping as the pain shot through his system then suddenly vanished completely.

He went to stand up when he felt something on his head, freezing instantly in realizing Maria just kissed his head.

Everything that happened in the next few seconds for the Ultimate Hedgehog became null and void as he tried processing why she did that.

"Now on with what I've actually called all of you here for." Gerald said standing in the middle of the room.

Shadow stood next to Maria as Gerald spoke...

"I know I don't have to remind every one that today is October 31st, Halloween. And some of the people here have planned some games for our younger members..."

Shadow's ear twitched as he heard Maria's giggle "grandfather used to say just my name and sometimes Abraham's there. I'm so glad you will be apart of tradition this year." She whispered in his ear.

"Now this year there is a request that a costume party happen tonight." Gerald spoke up again his gaze set on his granddaughter " and after some consideration I have decided that it will happen tonight at eight o'clock, and since it's tonight and I'm not giving a lot of time to come up with a costume, we're going to dress up like each other."

The silence in the room was defining as everyone exchanged awaked expressions with exception of Shadow.

"Maria, will you pass out these strips of paper and pencils." Gerald said handing her the supplies he had for her.

"Everyone will write their names and job name down and put them in this bucket that... Shadow will be collecting them in." He held up a small black bucket with a pumpkin on it, then gave it to Shadow who followed behind Maria and collected every paper and pencil that was passed out, and ended with Gerald.

Maria then handed a blank strip of paper and a pencil to shadow telling him to write his name too.

Shadow put it on the table and hesitated several seconds before Maria finished hers, stuck it in the bucket, and asked what was wrong.

Looking at her he shook his head not ready to admit that this was the first time he attempted writing anything. And wrote his name in the only language he knew how to write in, the black language, then stuck in the bucket.

"Alright, now pick one, but don't let anyone see who it is." Gerald said before Shadow could retract his hand from the bucket.

Dropping the paper he picked up a different one, and glanced at it before shoving it in his glove.

He wasn't very good at reading English but that didn't mean he didn't understand whose name was in the paper.

For the next few minutes Gerald passed the bucket around, Shadow tried figuring out where he could get a costume of his someone, that'd fit him, and other minor details that he over elaborated on.

"Everyone has from now, until tonight to get their costume ready, but the catch is no one can find out who it is until tonight unless you need help with it."

Gerald said looking at Shadow for the last part, making him wonder what kinda stupid expression he had on his face that gave away that he needed help with this mission.

Once the meeting broke, Maria followed the cook to the kitchen with the promise that Shadow would come after he spoke with Gerald.

"Professor, are you sure it's a good idea to put me in tradition? I don't think everyone is calm enough around me for me to be doing this." He asked really hoping that he could skip this crazy holiday, at least for this year.

But Gerald knew what he was trying to do and replied. "No one's ever going to warm up to you if you stay serious and threatening around everyone except Maria."

Sighing, Shadow knew Gerald is right, but Still wasn't up for it as much as he pulled out the paper he put in his glove, and read it to himself again. Glancing in the kitchen for a moment, He jumped up on the table next to the professor and showed him the paper that had, Maria, in elegantly childish handwriting.

"So this is why you don't want to do it." Gerald said taking the paper and intently staring at it. "I'll see what I can come up with. I should have something by the time you and her get finished carving pumpkins, come see me then."

Staring at the professor, not amused at all by his reaction, and actually kinda mad about it. He said nothing as he nodded jumping down and wandering towards the kitchen when he found Maria rolling the bigger pumpkin across the floor.

Stopping it and setting it up Maria struggled in picking up the second biggest, but refused the help as Shadow easily picked up the one about the size of his head and brought it out to a table just outside the kitchen door.

Seeing Maria struggling he quickly ran over to her and brought it to the same table.

"Show off." She scoffed with a playful smile.

"I didn't want you hurting yourself." Shadow said blunt and serious as the cook came out with the knife, spoons and a few bowls.

As he explained what to do with the pumpkin guts he cut open the top of the pumpkin and placed bowls next to the pumpkin and Maria instantly started gutting it and Shadow did the same, and by the end they were both covered in the stuff.

When they got back from cleaning the pumpkin guts off them they started drawing their designs and carving into the pumpkins.

"I'll show you mine, if you show me yours." Maria said fitting the top of her pumpkin on after a while of carving into it.

Shadow backed up and looked at his pumpkin. Shrugging in response to his friend.

His carving of him, Gerald, and Maria playing together kinda looked like... Stick figures that got morphed in to a... Sumo wrestler combined with pointy bush, but he spun his pumpkin around anyway the same time she did hers.

"Is that a ball, ...going up a ramp?" He asked looking at the morphed hole in the pumpkin that kinda looked like it had a tail to it and legs.

"It's a Hedgehog." She said giggling what's Santa doing on your pumpkin?"

"It's supposed to be the professor, and I guess the elf is you."

Maria shook her head. "You look more like the elf. I look like the girl waiting for Santa and his little elf helper." She smiled. Shadow chuckled, but wasn't all that impressed with his pumpkin art.

"It looks wonderful, Shadow!" Maria said smiling pleasantly.

Suddenly standing up she ran out the door saying "I've gotta get my costume together! I'll see ya soon, Shadow!"

The Ultimate Life Form watch her leave, silently wishing that tonight wouldn't last very long and that he wouldn't be noticed very badly in his own costume.

"Could you help carry these pumpkins to the door?" The cook asked picking up Shadow's pumpkin.

Shadow Pulled Maria's over to him, and picked it up, and followed the Chef, placing the pumpkin on the opposite side of the door on the little stand for it.

The cook disappeared into the kitchen for a few seconds, returning with two small candles and a match box. Once the cook lit the candles, Shadow placed them in the pumpkin and replaced the top.

After that the cook returned to the preparations in the kitchen while Shadow hovered to the lab.

"Finally. I have two options for you and have already given the idea to try to draw them." Gerald said handing the Ultimate Hedgehog the two papers.

Looking them over briefly, He could tell that the costume really depended on how serious he wanted to take it. He gave Gerald the papers back telling him he'd think about it.

Turning to leave the tailor on the ARK came in with a miniature dress identical to the ones Maria wears. Speechless and fed-up, all he did was groan and slap his hand over his eyes.

No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. Why did I have you pick her name out of the hat? He asked himself trying to figure up a different way of getting out of it. Pretending to get sick is out of the picture entirely, and he hasn't been tired for two years so that excuse wouldn't work that well either.

"I'll put it here and if you need anything else done to it, you know where to find me." The tailor said placing the dress on the back of a chair, and left.

Gerald wandered over to it and got a better look at it while Shadow kept his distance from it as long as he physically could.

Shadow glanced at the papers with the designs of his costumes on them while Gerald went to gather his own costume.

Sighing He finally figured which one he would use. Crumpled up, and threw away the other one then ran into the bathroom with a small bucket of something he needed to pull it off, the dress (with the tiny blue boots someone couldn't resist on making), and the other picture, locking the door behind him.

After a couple of hours everyone was in their costumes and started gathering in the cafeteria.

Shadow emerged from the bathroom wearing a black hooded cape that reached the ground and he walked down the halls looking like the grim reaper wishing that was his real costume.

Dreading every moment in the horrid outfit he didn't feel even the slightest relief until he went in the cafeteria and some of the workers were dressed up like their work companions in the previous job that they worked in, and honestly some looked ridicules, but to him looked better than he did if he took the cape off.

Although Gerald dressed up like the cook was funny. Not even that lightened the Ultimate Life Form's mood.

The real point where he was relived was when he saw Maria in a solid black outfit, a few cotton balls stuffed in the jacket showing just enough to giving the illusion of his patch of chest fur a small tail attached to her pants, fake hedgehog ears and her own hover shoes; she even had part of her face painted black, and red chalk in her blond hair.

"How ironic." Shadow said walking up to Maria. Pulling his cape off revealing that he had straightened his quill and painted himself blond before putting on the dress and boots and a blue headband to pull it together. "Although, now, technically we're both Hedgehogs."

Maria gasped "you drew my name?" She squealed enthusiastically.

Shadow shrugged, looking down at his costume. "Yep." He said significantly less impressed with it than she was.

"Makes me wish I was a hedgehog too. Especially if I'd look that nice!" She sighed, with a daydream smile.

Shadow raised an eyebrow, "what are you talking about? You're the Ultimate Life Form, at least for tonight! You are THE Hedgehog!" He said with a half-smile, making Maria giggle.

"I guess I am." And with that the two of them enjoyed the rest of the night with each other trying their hardest to ignore the few rude comments about Shadow's costume, and together, Gerald pronounced them both winners of the best costumes, and they all stayed up till midnight playing games and eating candy and having fun with each other.

But Shadow's favorite part was when it was FINALLY over and he got out of the constricting feminine costume and back to himself and Maria's reaction when she saw the dress with matching boots laying on her bed with the note that read.

Incase your daydream for becoming a hedgehog comes true, here is an outfit for you. No need to thank or repay me. Your friend ~Shadow


End file.
